The present invention relates to wireless digital communications systems, and in particular to systems and methods for downloading software to portable wireless digital telephones.
Wireless communication systems are known to comprise wireless communication units, such as in-car mobile and/or hand-held portable radios, that communicate with each other and a fixed infrastructure using wireless communication resources. Many of the user features provided by such wireless communication units are often based on software programs stored and executed within the wireless communication units. That is, algorithms electronically stored in memories are executed by processing devices, such as microprocessors, to realize certain features.
As existing features are improved and new features are developed for wireless communication units, new versions of software become available with increasing frequency. Users of wireless communication units typically desire to receive the newest versions of updated software as quickly and as efficiently as possible in order to take advantage of the improvements.
Prior art approaches for delivering updated software to wireless communication units are not always convenient and/or efficient. One method requires a user to bring the wireless communication unit to a central location, such as a service shop operated by a system administrator or service provider. The unit is then either provided with replacement parts containing the updated software (i.e., replacement memory devices) or physically connected to a device that transfers the updated software to the unit. Regardless of how the updated software is actually transferred, this method is both time-consuming and inconvenient to users since they are typically required to bring their unit in for service during normal work hours.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,825 to Averbuch et al. discloses an arrangement for downloading software from a server to a wireless terminal via a land-based public communication network using a battery charger/software downloader. According to Averbuch et al., downloading software via a land-based public communication network and a battery charger/software downloader has the advantage of minimizing inconvenience to the wireless telephone user. Averbuch et al. also asserts that downloading software via the land-based public communications network is advantageous over receiving updated software wirelessly as a special type of data message. According to Averbuch et al., software versions often comprise many megabytes of data, and thus require extensive use of wireless communication resources to send the updated software to a large number of units.
Digital cellular systems have evolved as a more efficient implementation of wireless communication systems over analog cellular systems. Digital cellular systems typically use time-division multiplexed access (TDMA) or code-division multiple access (CDMA) techniques. Digital cellular communication systems overcome the disadvantages in analog cellular systems, including noise susceptibility and limitations in spectrum efficiency. CDMA systems have been standardized according to TIA/EIA/IS-95A (xe2x80x9cMOBILE STATION-BASE STATION COMPATIBILITY STANDARD FOR DUAL MODE WIDEBAND SPREAD SPECTRUM CELLULAR SYSTEMxe2x80x9dxe2x80x941995), by the Telecommunications Industry Association (xe2x80x9cTIAxe2x80x9d), the disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.
With CDMA, each transmitted signal comprises a different pseudorandom binary sequence, also referred to as a pseudonoise (PN) sequence, that modulates a carrier signal, spreading the spectrum of the waveform. Thus, since each CDMA subscriber unit is assigned a unique PN code, a plurality of subscriber stations can send and receive CDMA signals sharing the same frequency spectrum. If these CDMA signals were viewed in either the frequency or time domain, the multiple access signals would appear to be superimposed on top of each other. The CDMA signals are separated in the receivers of the base stations or the subscriber stations by using a correlator which accepts only signal energy from the selected binary PN sequence and despreads its spectrum. The CDMA signals from other sources, whose codes do not match the selected binary PN sequence, are not despread in bandwidth and as a result, contribute only to the background noise and represent a self-interference generated by the system. CDMA interference therefore can be controlled, with the goal of increasing system capacity, on the basis of the reduction in signal-to-noise ratio caused by other users within the cellular CDMA system. Thus, a goal in any CDMA system is to limit the power output of transmitters in order to minimize the cumulative system noise caused by the other users in the CDMA system.
The use of CDMA has also been proposed for Personal Communication Services (PCS). A proposed standard for a CDMA PCS system has been submitted by the Joint Technical Committee of the TIA, entitled PN-3384, xe2x80x9cPERSONAL STATION-BASE STATION COMPATIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR 1.8 TO 2.0 GHz CODE DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS (CDMA) PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMSxe2x80x9d, Nov. 3, 1994, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The PCS proposed standard PN-3384 specifies enhanced services including transmission rates up to 14.4 kbps for enhanced speech quality, full data services at rates up to about 13 kbps, and simultaneous transmission of voice and data. The CDMA PCS system is adapted to operate in any of the licensed PCS frequency allocations from the FCC, currently assigned at 1930-1990 MHz band for the forward CDMA channel (base station to subscriber), and 1850-1910 MHz for the reverse CDMA channel (subscriber to base station).
Data service capabilities for an IS-95A system are specified in TIA/EIA/IS-99 (xe2x80x9cDATA SERVICES OPTION STANDARD FOR WIDEBAND SPREAD SPECTRU DIGITAL CELLULAR SYSTEMSxe2x80x9dxe2x80x941995), and TIA/EIA/IS-707 (xe2x80x9cDATA SERVICE OPTIONS FOR WIDEBAND SPREAD SPECTRUM SYSTEMSxe2x80x9dxe2x80x941997), incorporated in their entirety herein by reference. These standards specify a circuit switched wireless data protocol used by CDMA cellular mobile stations and base stations to provide modem emulation over the CDMA digital cellular telephone. These standards also define procedures for the interface between the base station and mobile switching center (BS/MSC), and an Interworking Function (IWF) that converts the data from the wireless data protocol to a format compatible for the public switched telephone network (PSTN).
Hence, digital telephones can serve as wireless modems that send and receive wireless data packets for portable laptop PCs, where the wireless data packets are sent and received by the digital telephones according to a wireless data protocol such as IS-99 or IS-707. In this case, data frames from the laptop PC are output as wireless data packets by the digital wireless telephone to the wireless digital communications system, and wireless data packets received by the digital wireless telephone from the wireless digital communications system are output by the digital telephone to the laptop PC.
Hence, a customer can connect his or her portable laptop PC to the digital CDMA telephone using an RS-232 cable, and configure the dial-up software resident in the laptop PC to set up the laptop PC to send and receive faxes via the digital wireless telephone in the form of wireless data packets. In addition, a user of a laptop PC may use the digital CDMA phone as a wireless modem to dial into an Internet Service Provider (ISP), or a corporate local area network (LAN) to access Internet or intranet services. The digital cellular or PCS system, upon receiving the wireless data call, connects the call to an Interworking Function (IWF) unit, which performs the necessary tasks to process data and fax transmissions into circuit-switched data and digital fax connections via the public switched telephone network. Hence, a user can browse the Internet or send a fax with the laptop PC using the wireless data connection.
The above-described wireless data protocols, however, contemplate use of the digital telephone as a wireless modem for a mobile computer such as a laptop PC, and do not address the problem of downloading upgraded software directly into the digital telephone. In addition, the standards specify only the protocol of the packet data transmitted via the air interface. Hence, transmission and reception of wireless data is typically performed by executing proprietary call processing software embedded in the digital telephone or the IWF unit. The use of proprietary call processing software limits the flexibility of potential application developers in developing improved software for use by the wireless telephones. Moreover, the use of proprietary call processing software in the digital telephone and the IWF unit requires the digital wireless telephone service providers to rely on the vendors of the proprietary software to maintain the digital wireless telephone infrastructure. For example, a proposed standard TIA/EIA/IS-683 specifies an over-the-air voice service activation procedure by placing a voice call on a CDMA and/or analog voice channel. The implementation of new digital wireless telephone services such as over-the-air activation as specified in IS-683 requires modification of the proprietary software in the infrastructure components, including the digital telephones, the mobile switching center, and the IWF, resulting in increased costs and delays in implementing new digital wireless telephone services.
There is a need for an arrangement in a digital wireless communications system for downloading updated software to a digital wireless telephone in a manner that does not unduly burden wireless communications system resources.
There is also a need for an arrangement in a digital wireless communications system for implementing new digital wireless telephone services with minimal modification to existing digital wireless telephone system infrastructure components, including digital telephones.
There is also a need for an arrangement in a digital wireless communications system enabling a user to select and control the wireless upgrading of digital telephone software in the user""s digital telephone.
There is also a need for an arrangement enabling a user to establish a two-way application-layer session between the user""s digital telephone and a server via a digital wireless transceiver, where the server can download control software associated with digital telephone services to the digital telephone during the two-way application layer session. Such digital telephone services may encompass over-the-air activation of new services, or the enhancement of existing services.
There is also a need for a digital wireless telephone configured for recovering an executable program selected by the user and associated with digital telephone services from a stream of wireless data packets received from a digital wireless telephone network, and storing the executable program in a nonvolatile memory for execution by the digital wireless telephone.
These and other needs are attained by the present invention, where a digital wireless telephone is configured for sending selection inputs supplied by a user to a server via a digital wireless communications system, and receiving downloaded software from the server based on the selection inputs. The digital telephone initiates a data call to an interworking unit via a wireless telephone network, using a prescribed wireless data protocol, to establish a two-way data link with the interworking unit that is independent of the prescribed wireless data protocol. The interworking unit is configured for generating data messages to a destination server via a packet switched network, for example a proxy gateway, via a second two-way data link to establish a two-way session between the digital telephone and the destination server. The user of the digital telephone can then communicate with the server via the two-way session, for example by sending a request for activation of a prescribed service. The server responds to the request by sending (i.e., downloading) control software associated with digital telephone services to the digital telephone during the two-way session. The digital telephone then recovers the control software from the wireless data packets sent via the wireless telephone network and stores the recovered control software in nonvolatile memory.
A particularly beneficial aspect of the present invention is that the digital wireless telephone is configured for executing multiple software resources that interact by exchanging messages across Application Programming Interfaces (API). One example of such a configuration is the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model, where different protocol layers in a prescribed hierarchy interact by exchanging data with adjacent layers. Consequently, each software resource of a digital telephone may interact with its own corresponding infrastructure component via the digital wireless telephone network, enabling the establishment of a virtual two-way communication, independent of the wireless data protocol, between the telephone user interface and a server configured for downloading control software to the digital telephone.
One example of the telephone user interface may be a client browser executable by the digital wireless telephone, enabling a user to navigate a private network in order to select the downloading of different control software elements for respective services of the digital wireless telephone network. Use of the client browser in the digital wireless telephone is particularly effective for over-the-air service activation, where the user selects activation of new digital wireless services. During the activation procedure, the user may use the client browser to interact first with a proxy gateway controlling network access based on prescribed security procedures, followed by interaction with an activation server for downloading of control software associated with activation of new digital wireless services. The user may then use the client browser to interact with an update server configured for downloading updated software for digital telephone components, such as operating system, vacatur software, call processing software, transceiver control software, etc., based on revision information received from the digital telephone.
Hence, a digital telephone user may selectively access servers of a private or public packet switched network via the digital wireless telephone network to download to the digital telephone control software associated with digital telephone services. Hence, the user may customize his or her digital telephone programming based on the desired services. Moreover, the invention enables use of an open platform for digital wireless communications, enabling application developers to develop new software applications for new digital telephone services. Digital telephone users can then download the new software applications as they are made available on a server.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.